PHYTOCHEMICAL ANDANTI-INFLAMMATORY STUDIES ON THEHEXANE EXTRACT OF THE STEM BARK OFSTEGANOTAENIA ARALIACEAHOSCHTS (APIACEAE), A RESEARCH PROJECT TOPIC ON MICROBIOLOGY
ABSTRACT
Inflammation has been implicated in virtually all human and animal diseases. It has become the focus of global scientific research, more so, since the currently used anti-inflammatory agents both steroidal and non-steroidal are prone to evoking serious adverse reactions.
Steganataeniaaraliacea(Apiaceae)stem bark has been reported to be used in traditional medicine for the treatment of asthma and rheumatism in East Africa. In this study, thehexane extract of the stem bark of the plant was evaluated for its anti-inflammatory property and with a view to isolating bioactive compounds from it.Methods for evaluating macroscopical features and physico-chemical properties were used for the pharmacognostic studies on the stem bark, chromatographic techniques including the thin layer chromatography (TLC) and column chromatography using silica gel were used for the phytochemical studies on the hexane extract of the plant while the anti-inflammatory study was also carried out on the hexane extract using formalin induced paw oedema in rats. The macroscopical features of the whole stem bark was described as yellowish-green in colour, waxy and short fractured with an aromatic odour while the powdered stem bark was described as brown in colour, aromatic in odour with a sweet bitter taste. The physico-chemical properties of the bark determined include total ash value 10.67%, acid-insoluble ash value 4.00%, water-soluble ash value 1.25%, moisture content 8%, water-soluble extractive value 2.87%, alcohol-soluble extractive value 6.67% and petroleum ether-soluble extractive value 1.27%. The TLC profiling of the hexane extract of the bark showed the presence of steroids/terpenes. The column chromatography of the hexane extract of the stem bark lead to isolation of Compound UF which was characterized using the 1H-NMR spectroscopy and its physical properties. Compound UF was identified as Hentriacotane (C31H64) based on the available spectroscopic data and physical properties which agreed well with those reported in the literature. The acute toxicity studies of the hexane extract revealed (LD50) of 282.84mg/kg suggesting the extract is moderately toxic. The effect of the hexane extract on formalin induced paw oedema in rats revealed a dose dependant inhibition of the paw oedema when compared to the reference. The concentrations of the extract at 35, 70 and 140 mg/kg of the extract showed 41%, 42% and 50% inhibition respectively at the peak of the paw oedema which were statistically significant at P<0 .05.=”” a=”” activity=”” anti-inflammatory=”” dependent=”” dose=”” extract.=”” indicates=”” of=”” span=”” the=”” this=””>
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Medicinal preparations derived from natural sources, especially from plants, have been in widespread use since time immemorial. Ancient texts of India and China contain exhaustive depictions of the use of a variety of plant-derived medications (Samuelsson, 2004).
